Senator Dick Durbin: "[The Banks] Own the Place"

This audio clip from Dick Durbin is a few months old, but as Congress breaks for the summer recess, with the Senate failing to bring new health care legislation to a vote, I feel it's more relevant than ever. Why is it that any meaningful, progressive legislation get's either filabustered into obscurity or watered-down by the Republicans or Blue Dog Democrats until it's impotent? Personally, as Sen. Durbin agrees, I blame corporate lobbyists. In the clip, Mr Durbin articulates why passing any banking legislation is doomed to failure. This time the poor quality is not my fault:



For those not familiar with Dick Durbin, he is the current senator from Illinois and Senate Majority Whip, the second highest position for the Democratics in the Senate. He was also voted one of "America's 10 Best Senators" by Time Magazine back in 2006.

For a great overview on corporate lobbying totals for just the first quarter of 2009, check out this link or, for a more comprehensive look at the influence of ALL money in politics, check out Open Secrets. Once you learn how much money the wealthy and corporations spend to influence our elected representatives, you'll understand why campaign finance reform should be priority number one.